Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What is “intimacy?” Is partial intimacy possible? Is “falling in love” really just falling into our own projections? What are we projecting? What are we protecting? Can we truly love without constantly risking the loss of who/what we love? Is it worth the risk?

Marcus grew up in a ghetto in Ohio, moved to Appalachia as a teenager, then to a houseboat among mangroves on Key West til the hurricane hit, stopped for a while in a cave outside of Crestone, and is now building a house for his family here. He’s a success story, if I’ve ever heard one. Dude is full of talent and wisdom, and he makes living in Crestone a lot richer for the rest of us. This is a pu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Trigger warning. This is a conversation about sexual assault. The obligatory commentary on the Cornell case. But really, we don’t know the details about that particular case, so it’s more about these kinds of cases. He said, she said, they said, he changed his story, she recanted, they said something else and the...

Originally from South Africa, Spencer has lived around the world. He’s been in Japan long enough to learn the language and get real insight into the cultures. I’ve never been, but I’m fascinated by the place. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Shane has spent the past few years building out a schoolbus, and now he’s taking it out on the road. His first stop was Crestone. Our previous podconvo was ten years ago. Follow Shane’s travels on his Instagram . This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Is “genocide” the right word? Does it matter? Are our “leaders” psychopaths? Is it possible to do what they do and NOT be psychopathic? Instructions for getting the paid RSS feed in apps is here .

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Are we ruled by the Closetocracy? Is Andrew Tate a paragon of unresolved trauma? Would Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton work as national leaders? To what extent does cultural context define our experiences? Are certain experiences universally traumatic, or does it depend on the where, when, and why? What to do about...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Is Super El Niño gonna kill us? Is AI gonna kill us? Is Donald Trump or Putin or Iran gonna kill us? Are things really as out of control as they seem, or is this just what happens when attention becomes a commodity? What’s happening inside AI? What’s happening inside ANY science? Does anyone really know WTF is goi...

James grew up in suburban Chicago, studied philosophy in college, and after trips to Tanzania (living with the Hadza) and working on farms in New Zealand, he moved with his wife to Colorado’s San Luis Valley. They now run a 66-acre property where they’re raising a young son, planning to fence the land for a small bison herd, and running a business ( PurePrairieLife.com ) selling freeze-dried bison...

Chris and I are old friends, from back in the 90s, when I lived in a mansion in Barcelona infested with fashion models. He and his lingerie-model girlfriend were my next-door neighbors. One night in Paris, Chris was drugged and raped by a man who moved in the same circles as many of the powerful, wealthy predators associated with Jeffrey Epstein. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Following up on the previous ROMA where I explore the bird’s-eye view of AI. Is our behavior driven by a parasite? Is AI a self-replicating techno-virus? Is it “speciesist” to lament the demise of Homo sapiens as the next form of life rises from our ashes?

Somehow, my mic never got turned on, so this one is all-guest. The perfect episode! Lloyd is a builder, a writer, a photographer, a publisher, an athlete and a great friend. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com We dig into what it feels like to come of age under a permanent sense of "the world could end any moment," comparing Cold War duck-and-cover anxiety to a millennial generation shaped by 9/11, economic collapse, and climate dread. Anya shares thoughts about turning 38. We talk about our past lives, Anya’s formerly...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Are we like beavers who drown in pools we’re busy building?

I sat down over coffee with Kyle on my recent drive through Santa Cruz. Our spontaneous, far ranging conversation included birding in Manhattan, our differing learning styles, how we share the curse of having been raised by loving parents, One Last Question Before You Go — Kyle’s wonderful book about interviewing our parents, and how to optimize one’s life by opting out. This is a public episode....

Richard is one of my favorite writers and one of my favorite people. His books have followed his interests, from chili peppers to the Cuban revolution to eels to homelessness to life after death to cockroaches to the mysteries and intricacies of farming octopus . The phrase “insatiable curiosity” comes to mind. But he’s not just curious, he’s a very fine writer and a compassionate reporter. His bo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com The world cup, seen through the eyes of an anthropologist. The significance of Barca. Why it’s “more than a club.” Why Argentinians can be so obnoxious. How being alone in Spain can feel less lonely than being among Americans.

Dave has been around. He spent eight years in the navy, lived in Bali for a while, led hundreds of intimacy workshops, explored non-monogamous relationships and intentional communities, been to Burning Man five times, studied with various gurus and legit teachers, and doesn’t take any of it (including himself) too seriously. He writes self-reflective songs and sings them from the heart. He leans i...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Are the vikings cool yet? The importance of distance in historical thinking. Some really shitty, misguided dating advice. My own insecurities around giving advice. Graham Platner and the possibly self-defeating desire to elect nice, healthy, honest people to represent us in the snake pit located in our nation’s ca...

With almost 800 episodes in the archives, new listeners (and old) often ask me for recommendations. In response, I’ll occasionally re-post some of my favorites. This was my first conversation with Rick Beato (Episode 420, 5/18/2020). Some reasons you might want to listen to this episode. On what Rick Beato actually does for people who love music: Chris Ryan: “He is like the Anthony Bourdain of mus...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Accents. The World Cup. How soccer strategies reflect on contemporary American politics. Marvin Harris, Cannibals and Kings, and the Big Man theory of leadership.

Jan is a historian specializing in telling the stories of the many extraordinary women of the Old West — many of them madams and prostitutes. She’s written many books, including: Brothels, Bordellos & Bad Girls: Prostitution in Colorado, 1860-1930 , Red Light Women of the Rocky Mountains, and Extraordinary Women of the Rocky Mountain West. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this wi...

I love talking with Kevin about cutting-edge technology. He’s up to his neck in the stuff. He doesn’t just dabble in it. He’s practically submerged in it. I hope you enjoy this conversation with someone who knows what’s happening, because he’s one of the people making it happen. If you appreciate commercial-free, bullshit-free conversations like this one, please consider helping to support the pod...

Robert Wright is the New York Times bestselling author of The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning . His previous books include: The Evolution of God (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), Nonzero , The Moral Animal , Three Scientists and their Gods (a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award), and Why Buddhism Is True . He is the cofounder and editor-in-chief...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Would it be such a bad thing if Iran nuked up? Robert Thurman lived a great life . Fukuyama on our innate lack of gratitude for liberal democracy. Some great writing advice. A beautiful song in mystery languages.